2Slick
04-12-2006, 21:22
FC Shakhtar Donetsk travel to Olympiacos CFP still holding faint hopes of qualifying from the UEFA Champions League group stage for the first time. Shakhtar's 1-0 defeat of AS Roma on 22 November means they enter the final matchday only two points behind their Italian rivals. However, the odds remain stacked against the Ukrainian champions, who will progress only if they beat Olympiacos and Roma lose their home meeting with Valencia CF. Should Shakhtar finish level on points with Roma, the Giallorossi would advance thanks to their superior head-to-head record.
• Olympiacos have their own incentive to do well as a victory at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium will lift them above Shakhtar and earn a place in the UEFA Cup. The Greek champions go into the game three points behind their opponents but would leapfrog them with a win as this would give them the better head-to-head record following the sides' 2-2 draw in Ukraine on Matchday 2.
Previous meeting
• Olympiacos led twice in Donetsk, with Michalis Konstantinou (24) and Nery Alberto Castillo (68) on target. Mircea Lucescu's men fought back each time, however, through Matuzalem (34) and then Ciprian Marica (70).
• Romanian international Marica also got the winner against Roma on Matchday 5, which followed a commendable 2-2 draw with Valencia. Those results have revived a campaign which opened with a 4-0 reverse at Roma and also featured a 2-0 loss at Valencia.
Home discomfort
• Ironically for a team without an away win in 31 attempts in the UEFA Champions League, it is Olympiacos's home form that has let them down this season. They may have lost 2-0 at Valencia on Matchday 5 – Miguel Ãngel Angulo and Fernando Morientes the scorers – but have held both Shakhtar (2-2) and Roma (1-1) on their travels. So far at home, however, Trond Sollied's team have lost 4-2 to Valencia and 1-0 to Roma, ensuring their eighth consecutive failure at this stage of the competition.
Mixed fortunes
• Olympiacos have had mixed fortunes in their past encounters with Ukrainian opposition. A 1-0 loss at FC Dynamo Kyiv confirmed a 3-2 aggregate defeat in the 1975/76 European Champion Clubs' Cup second round. They fared better on their second visit in 1992 as they overturned a 1-0 home reverse with a 3-0 second-leg triumph at FC Chornomorets Odesa in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup first round.
• This is Shakhtar's first visit to Greece and only their third ever meeting with Greek opposition. The first came in last season's UEFA Cup group stage, where they defeated PAOK FC 1-0.
• Olympiacos coach Sollied led Club Brugge KV past Shakhtar in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round in 2002/03. The Belgian side won 4-1 on penalties after two 1-1 draws. Two years later at the same stage, however, Shakhtar gained revenge by drawing 2-2 in Belgium before a 4-1 win in Donetsk.
http://www.uefa.com/Competitions/UCL/FixturesResults/Round=2357/match=1116400/index.html
• Olympiacos have their own incentive to do well as a victory at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium will lift them above Shakhtar and earn a place in the UEFA Cup. The Greek champions go into the game three points behind their opponents but would leapfrog them with a win as this would give them the better head-to-head record following the sides' 2-2 draw in Ukraine on Matchday 2.
Previous meeting
• Olympiacos led twice in Donetsk, with Michalis Konstantinou (24) and Nery Alberto Castillo (68) on target. Mircea Lucescu's men fought back each time, however, through Matuzalem (34) and then Ciprian Marica (70).
• Romanian international Marica also got the winner against Roma on Matchday 5, which followed a commendable 2-2 draw with Valencia. Those results have revived a campaign which opened with a 4-0 reverse at Roma and also featured a 2-0 loss at Valencia.
Home discomfort
• Ironically for a team without an away win in 31 attempts in the UEFA Champions League, it is Olympiacos's home form that has let them down this season. They may have lost 2-0 at Valencia on Matchday 5 – Miguel Ãngel Angulo and Fernando Morientes the scorers – but have held both Shakhtar (2-2) and Roma (1-1) on their travels. So far at home, however, Trond Sollied's team have lost 4-2 to Valencia and 1-0 to Roma, ensuring their eighth consecutive failure at this stage of the competition.
Mixed fortunes
• Olympiacos have had mixed fortunes in their past encounters with Ukrainian opposition. A 1-0 loss at FC Dynamo Kyiv confirmed a 3-2 aggregate defeat in the 1975/76 European Champion Clubs' Cup second round. They fared better on their second visit in 1992 as they overturned a 1-0 home reverse with a 3-0 second-leg triumph at FC Chornomorets Odesa in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup first round.
• This is Shakhtar's first visit to Greece and only their third ever meeting with Greek opposition. The first came in last season's UEFA Cup group stage, where they defeated PAOK FC 1-0.
• Olympiacos coach Sollied led Club Brugge KV past Shakhtar in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round in 2002/03. The Belgian side won 4-1 on penalties after two 1-1 draws. Two years later at the same stage, however, Shakhtar gained revenge by drawing 2-2 in Belgium before a 4-1 win in Donetsk.
http://www.uefa.com/Competitions/UCL/FixturesResults/Round=2357/match=1116400/index.html